Baked Kibbeh

Baked Kibbeh Recipe. Special Lebanese Mezzi dish served with cucumber salad, yoghurt, bread and lemon wedges.

Preparation Time 40 minutes
Cooking Time 35 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)
120g (2/3 cup) Naytura Cracked Wheat
400g lamb mince
1 brown onion, coarsely grated
2 tbs chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp toasted pine nuts
1/4 tsp sumac
Olive oil, to grease
Natural yoghurt, to serve
Lebanese bread, to serve
Lemon wedges, to serve

Cucumber salad
4 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthways, coarsely chopped
4 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh continental parsley leaves
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed

Method
Place cracked wheat in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve, pressing to remove excess moisture.

Place 350g mince and half the onion in a large bowl. Add the cracked wheat, mint and half the allspice, and season with salt and pepper. Use wet hands to mix until well combined.

Cook remaining mince in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 2 minutes or until mince changes colour. Add the remaining onion and cook for 2 minutes or until the mince is cooked and the onion is soft. Stir in the pine nuts, sumac and the remaining allspice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a baking tray with oil to grease. Divide the cracked wheat mixture into 16 even portions. Roll 1 portion into a ball. Holding the ball in the palm of your hand, press your index finger into the centre of the ball to make a cup shape. Place 1 teaspoon of the pine nut mixture in the cavity. Bring the edges together to seal, then roll into a slightly elongated egg shape. Repeat, in 15 more batches, with the remaining cracked wheat mixture and pine nut mixture.

Place the kibbeh on the prepared tray. Bake in oven, turning halfway through cooking and brushing occasionally with juices, for 30 minutes or until cooked.

Meanwhile, to make the cucumber salad, combine the cucumber, tomato, onion and parsley in a bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, oil and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon dressing to the cucumber mixture and toss to combine.

Serve the kibbeh balls with cucumber salad, yoghurt, bread and lemon wedges.

Notes & tips
You can also serve these kibbeh balls as part of a mezze meal, which is a favourite in Lebanon. This "grazing" meal consists of a series of small dishes that are set out for guests to nibble on. Simply halve the size of the kibbeh and reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes. Serve with hummus, baba ghanoush, labne and Lebanese bread for a magnificent meal.

Freezing tip
Cool at the end of step 5. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in fridge. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place kibbeh on a baking tray in oven until heated through.

Source
Australian Good Taste - October 2007, Page 134
Recipe by Gemma Purcell